Contact Email

History

Author Content

A retired electrician and college instructor who wants to see a light-rail system built in Duluth is seeking a seat on the City Council. Richard Williams, 73, entered the race for an At Large seat on Tuesday, the final day of the filing period for local offices. Williams said he has a "strong interest" in light rail and has been researching the feasibility of a system being constructed in Duluth.

A former youth pastor who recently served five years in Illinois prison for sexually abusing several young girls is now facing similar charges stemming from a stint in Duluth more than a decade ago. Ellis William Simmons, 38, is accused of assaulting two girls between 1999 and 2005, when he was living and working in Duluth. The girls were 11 and 14 years old at the time of the reported incidents.

A Hibbing murder defendant was found competent to proceed in court Thursday, nearly six months after his case was put on hold while he underwent a mental health evaluation. Benjamin David Lundquist, 32, of Grand Rapids, is accused of fatally stabbing Joel Dean Gangness inside an apartment building in January. Lundquist allegedly admitted that he knocked on Gangness' door and confronted him at random, stating that he stabbed and bludgeoned the victim because "Jesus directed him to do it," according to a criminal complaint.

A Solway Township man had nearly twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he fell asleep at the wheel early Memorial Day morning, killing one passenger and injuring three others in a rollover crash, according to a criminal complaint. Austin Darrell Hilden, 19, was charged Wednesday by summons with felony criminal vehicular homicide in the May 29 death of 19-year-old Axton Dylan Whitfield. He also faces three counts of criminal vehicular operation.

Duluth property owner and preservationist Eric Ringsred owes more than $2.5 million in unpaid federal taxes over the past decade, the Internal Revenue Service said in a recent document filed in St. Louis County. The IRS in May issued a federal lien against Ringsred, reporting that he has failed to pay significant taxes on personal income for each year from 2007 to 2014.

St. Louis County Commissioner Pete Stauber appears to be entering the race for the 8th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep Rick Nolan, DFL-Crosby. Stauber, 51, has served on the county board since 2013 and earlier was a member of the Hermantown City Council. He has been a Duluth police officer for more than 23 years, currently holding the rank of lieutenant. Stauber would be the first Republican to officially declare for the 2018 race. Stewart Mills, who suffered narrow defeats to Nolan in 2012 and 2014, has said he is considering another run.

A Duluth man sustained life-threatening injuries in a high-speed crash in Gnesen Township early Sunday, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities were called to the 6400 block of Rice Lake Road around 4:45 a.m. for a single vehicle that had left the southbound lane and tumbled more than 100 yards through the ditch and woods. The driver, who was the only person in the car, was ejected and was found approximately 10 feet from the vehicle, Sgt. Brent Donahue said.

A judge has declined to dismiss several charges against a Proctor man who allegedly fired more than three dozen shots at his live-in girlfriend during a domestic dispute in November. Sixth Judicial District Judge Theresa Neo on Wednesday upheld all counts, including attempted murder and assault, against 40-year-old Rusty George Kallis. Kallis allegedly told his girlfriend that he was holding her hostage and fired at least 38 rounds from an AR-15 during the Nov. 26 incident at the couple's residence on the 100 block of East Fifth Street in Proctor.

Six courthouses in mostly rural counties of Northeastern Minnesota will see security upgrades thanks to a statewide funding program. The Minnesota Judicial Branch on Thursday announced that 57 counties were recipients of grants from the $1 million Safe and Secure Courthouse Initiative, which was authorized by the state Legislature last year to improve courthouse security across the state.

A 24-year-old man shot by two Hibbing police officers in January after allegedly striking another man over the head with a gun is now facing 11 felony charges. Che Nathaniel Jones, of Rochester, Minn., was formally charged Friday by summons in State District Court in Hibbing. The charges include attempted murder and three counts of first-degree assault — each carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison.